Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious

Forza Horizon was a blast to play on it’s own. The huge open world combined with the arcade-like controls made it one of my favorite games of last year. The Storm Island DLC added a huge chunk of fresh gameplay to an already great game.

Then comes Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious. Presented as an opportunity for people who weren’t sold on the Horizon franchise, it was free up until just last week (it now costs $10); and, you didn’t even need Forza Horizon to play it. The question is: does this DLC stand up to the rest of Forza's great gameplay.

The game opens up with Ludacris himself narrating the “story”. You have to get cars for the crew of the Fast & Furious movie series; it's as simple as that. That’s also about as much association the game actually has with the film franchise. Some of the iconic cars from the films are featured, and as you unlock new ones as you complete events. Rather than the typical in game currency being used, you are just given the vehicles. To players who have already gone through Forza Horizon 2 extensively, this game will feel short of features. However, it serves more as a demo to introduce people to the franchise. It serves that purpose well.

There are 10 vehicles to get and each one takes around 3 events to obtain, and if you’re good, you can probably finish it in one sitting. You can always go back and replay events but there is little reason to. You can’t customize your vehicles visually or upgrade them. Alongside the lack of customization you are also only given access to what feels like 2/3rd of the original game's map, which makes the 15GB install, which is not helped at all by owning the main game, seem a little suspect. Additionally, the vehicles you unlock do not transfer over, but they are offered as part of a car DLC pack for Forza Horizon 2.

All of the gameplay mechanics from Forza Horizon 2 are there. The controls are the same and the game feels polished. Nitro is introduced for us during races, but is absent from the open world. There are plenty of speedtraps and activities to take on as well as reward boards to search for. A collector should enjoy the experience and Forza fans may find there appetite to be held over for a brief moment of time.

It is rare that a video game can tie into a movie and have it hold up in a way that is engaging and compliments both franchises’. The Fast and the Furious is a movie series that has come into its own over the last decade. With a devoted fan base and high budget set pieces at the very least they are fun to watch. Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast and Furious is a fun take on simulation driving. It features all of the tuning possibilities of a racing sim but the physics and controls are more of a sandbox arcade racer style. It's a match made in heaven. Although this expansion is short and skimpy on features, it's still fun and I had a great time to playing through it.

Forza Motorsport 7 Review

With over 30 tracks, hundreds of impressively rendered cars, and a robust and option-rich single player campaign (not to mention endless single, one-off races), Forza 7 has to represent the current apex of the racing sim. While it isn't a decisive leap forward from Forza 6, neither is it a step back. The cars just get better looking, the handling more precise, and the overall experience more comprehensive and immersive. I can't wait to try it on the Xbox One X.

Forza Horizon 2

Forza Horizon 2 has raised the bar for open-world racing games. The beautiful setting and sensational visuals are one thing, but when you mix it in with heart-pounding races, an extensive car list, intense competitive online play, and a vast explorable world, it all translates to Horizon 2 being the cream of the crop in the genre and the best in its class.

Forza Horizon

Forza Horizon is not simply a great racing game; it’s a great game in general. From the handling to the visuals and sound, from the tweaking to the reward system, Horizon has everything it needs to be an enjoyable time. It may lack the challenge and depth that fans of the core Forza series know and love but if you've admired the Forza Motorsport games from a distance (like me) then do yourself a favor and play this amazing game.

Forza Horizon 3

Forza Horizon 3 is an absolute masterpiece. You’ll be hard pressed to find an open-world racing game that is this visually stunning, sounds this phenomenal, has this much content, and most importantly; this fun to play.